The Prejudice of Language

Dear readers,

   As this is the second entry in our Bête Noire Initiative, I would like to welcome you again to what we hope will be an informative and, at times, entertaining enterprise. And seeing as how some readers will give undue attention to our medium of communication, it’s only fair that we discuss how we, that includes you, perceive the English language.  

“በእንግሊዚኛ ተመከትንበት እንጂ እኮ አናውቀውም። ደግሞ እንግሊዘኛ ጎበዝ ነው ስትባል ሚስት ታገኛለህ።”

ሃይሌ ገሪማ

A Major Faultline

   Since being selected as our education system’s medium of instruction, English has become many things to many people. And to say that it’s a major fault line in our culture is an understatement. Take a family member of mine as an example. Before his children were of school age, he was completely against the idea of sending them to schools that used English as their only medium of instruction. i.e. those that went beyond the purview of public policy and used it exclusively from grades 1-12. 

   In having a very heated argument with another family member, he was adamant that such policies were not only based on colonial assumptions but that they were designed to distance Ethiopians from their language and, ultimately, their culture. Most of his main points have since been articulated in a popular op-ed on this very same topic. Now imagine my surprise when both he and the author of this op-ed chose to enroll their kids in those very same schools. Those that, you guessed it, chose English as their only medium of instruction.

   This, my dear reader, is a very common occurrence. Where parents that are opposed to this policy will, most often than not, send their children to schools that unabashedly focus on English proficiency. In a few years’ time, you might even see these same parents being supportive, proud and even boastful of their child’s fluency and/or accent. I know I have.

   What then should we make of these occurrences? Is it hypocrisy? Is it a lack of a better option? Is it concerned parents trying to provide as many opportunities to their children as possible? Or is it something else? Something that is so embedded in our culture that we have overlooked its impact on how we view and rank languages? Whilst answering these questions might be difficult, it might give us some comfort in knowing that this is not a new phenomenon. Take this quote for example, which recounts the exploits of an Ethiopian returnee some 100 years ago:

“ነገር ግን፤ ፈረንሳይኛ እና እንግሊዝኛ ባለማወቄ ክፉኛ ተሣቀቅሁ። ግምቴ እንዳነሰ ተሰማኝ፤ የዚያን ጊዜ ዕዋቂዎች ተብለው የሚከበሩ የፈረንሳይና የእንግሊዝ ትርጁማኖች ናቸው። እነዚህ ትርጁማኖች ምንም ትምህርት ሳይኖራቸው፣ የፈረንጅ አሽከሮች እየሆኑ የለቃቀሙትን ቋንቋ እንደምንም የሚያወላክፉ ናቸው።”

ፊታውራሪ ተክለሐዋሪያት ተክለማርያም

   What is compelling about this quote is not just how old it is. But rather how our tendency to equate speaking English with being respectable predates our very recent and contentious language policies. And although most Ethiopians would like to completely blame western media and contemporary culture for the prominence of English, surely an incident from the 1910s would suggest that there is more to this than meets the eye.

Symbolic Power 

   Now I know that some of you might be getting a little defensive at this point and, honestly, I wouldn’t blame you. I know how this issue is being discussed in mainstream society; with all of its essentialist and nationalistic framing. Where our attitudes towards English are discussed in a binary; as a battle between traditional Ethiopia, with its untainted culture, vs modern Ethiopia, with its deviant and polluted generation. And by constantly relying on these myopic lenses of neo-colonialism and defensive culturalism, we have missed a few things.

   Lucky for us, there are some that have tried to answer this very question of English frenzy in exceedingly patriotic societies. Those that have tried to understand the lure of English proficiency, not just from the perspectives of colonialism and economic opportunism, but also for its symbolic power. Researchers that might help us understand why those that are suspicious of English are nonetheless comfortable in code mixing and sparsely using English words and expressions in their everyday lives.

“Ethiopian elites obtain not just intellectual privilege from studying in a western school but also cultural capital that can be converted into various forms of privileges in their familial and local community settings.”

Yirga Gelaw

   As such, if we are to understand those patriotic Ethiopians that feign opposition to foreign languages but then cherish the social capital that is associated with them, we must understand something called language prejudice. Which is our tendency to view and rank languages through our own beliefs, social structures and cultural dispositions. It is our conventional yet mistaken inclination to ascribe identity, class and prestige to certain languages at the expense of others.

   For example, our global obsession of associating English with modernity, advanced education and prestige might be supported by beliefs that have, to some extent, been influenced by western media and colonialism. This much may be true. But our tendency to still use English, even after labeling it as a foreign and corrupting force, is also informed by a social structure that is very close to home. One that is not only hierarchical but also places undue importance on perceived status and esteem. Where status symbols, cultural capital and social labeling have a direct and tangible impact on our quality of life.

   And in this milieu of domineering authority figures, revered status symbols and the persistent evaluation of someone’s social standing, is it any wonder that we accept English as yet another mark of prestige and distinction? Is it any wonder that a culture that glorifies hierarchy and authority will give credence to its new forms of expression?

   This phenomenon of language prejudice amidst unrelenting social hierarchy has since been given many names by linguists and sociologists alike. Names like Double Divide, Language Elitism, Elite Closure and Newspeak.  And for those readers of ours that prefer a more Ethiopian perspective, this is what ፊታውራሪ ተክለሐዋሪያት ፣ አቢይ አበበ and በዓሉ ግርማ identified and chastised in our beloved Ethiopia.

“መሻሻልም ማለት በአለባበስና በመሽኮንተር፣ አነጋገር በማሳመርና ስለ ሌላው ሀገር ሥልጣኔና ዕድገት በመናገር አይደለም።”

አቢይ አበበ

 Word of Advice 

   So, the next time you are at your family gathering or socializing at work and you encounter someone discussing English as some form of culture war, heed the advice of ብላታን ኅሩይ ወልደ ሥላሴሥላሴ. Look beyond their lip service to cultural purity and traditionalism. Pay no mind to their incessant need to frame this issue as a battle between Ethiocentrism vs. Eurocentrism. 

   Instead, listen attentively to how many times they talk about their worldliness after only traveling to some out of town 3-day conference. Count yourself lucky if they don’t give you yet another long lecture about how their international experiences showed them the folly of how things are done here. You might even be unwillingly included into a narrow-minded discussion that begins with the phrase “የሃበሻ ችግር እኮ….”.

   Count how many times they say “ባይዘዌይ” or use some form of what ፊታውራሪ ተክለሐዋሪያት would describe as “የተወላከፈ” ጉራማይሌ. Notice the attire they are wearing as well as their attitude towards those that do not share their obsession with respectable/western garbs. Ask about their children whilst you sit back and enjoy a dutiful rendition of their ABCs and Pinkfong‘s “baby shark”. A performance staged by the proud and accomplished parent that has long forgotten their previous lecture about cultural purity and traditional Ethiopia.

   And it is at this very moment that you will realize that you have met a true, modern Ethiopian. Not because of any passion or curiosity towards their culture but because of their total subservience to our modern symbols of success, status and prestige.

“ሰው ሁሉ በአንድ ነገር ላይ ሲስማሙ ነገሩ እውነት ይመስላቸዋል።”

ዘርዓያቆብ

   And whilst they are busy revering their status symbols and trying to determine your social standing, I hope you take the time to reflect on the tangible benefits of knowing multiple languages, be they foreign or domestic. I hope you do not fall into the same trap as many of our fellow citizens and actually live the values you preach. 

   Be curious about your culture. Really take your time to learn your Amharic, Oromifa, Tigrigna or whatever language you deem important without having the need to use your new found skills as a cudgel against others. Find solace in knowing that language prejudice is neither a new issue in Ethiopia nor one that is only affecting our beloved country. 

   And finally, be a better person for not using English as yet another matrix by which to measure someone’s worth.

For More on the Resources Used for This Work, Visit Gudu’s Catalogue by Clicking Here.